Man Sleeps Next To Deadly Snake He Thought Was Non-Venomous, Gets Bitten

A snake lover in China has vowed to never raise one as a pet again after a cobra, which he believed was "detoxified," bit him.

The man, surnamed Liu, had a fascination for snakes, and got in touch with an online seller to get hold of a reptile as a pet. The one-meter-long cobra was then sent to his residence in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Once the snake was delivered, the seller reportedly assured Liu the reptile’s venom had been completely removed before shipment, local daily Global Times reported.

When Liu was lying in bed with the reptile, it bit him on his thigh. Luckily, the man did not neglect the wound, and immediately went to a local hospital where he was injected with anti-venom after the poison was found in his bloodstream. The doctors warned him a person could die if bitten by a venomous snake like a cobra.

The incident was reported by local media Wednesday, however, the exact date of the occurrence was not known.

After being discharged, Liu spoke to the seller, who told him they had made a mistake and sent out the wrong reptile, India Times reported.

Liu, who narrowly escaped death, has vowed to never raise a snake as a pet again. It wasn’t clear if the man had taken action against the seller in connection with the incident.

One of the most venomous snakes in the world, cobras are mostly found in India, southern China and Southeast Asia. They can grow up to 18 feet in length and feed on other snakes, both venomous and nonvenomous. Their venom affects the respiratory centers in the brain, resulting in respiratory arrest and cardiac failure.

Last year, on the occasion of National Reptile Awareness Day, Joshua Castle, a seasoned snake catcher from Brisbane, Australia, told International Business Times snakes, such as spotted and ball pythons, make good pets. He added people should not consider raising venomous snakes as pets as they "are very hard to get a hold of."